Grenfell Matters: Providing students the support they need to succeed

The Western Star

Published: Mar 07 at 12:37 a.m.

Updated: Mar 07 at 12:40 a.m.

Letter to the editor - Google Images

I guess you could say my enrolment in an event-planning course was written in the stars, knowing full well that it would be an asset to me in a career and with my involvement in the volleyball community.

In this experiential learning course, we are learning to apply the materials we’ve studied over our degrees by physically producing a product. In this case, our product is an event on campus! This is opposed to the dozens of case studies we’ve analyzed, which has sometimes left me, personally, wondering if I’m truly prepared to use the skills I’ve learned in the real world.

Working with a group of four other business students, our professor Janice Turner, and the department of marketing and communications, we are hosting an event called “Champagne Under The Stars.” It will be a formal fundraiser for Grenfell campus student scholarships and programming. During our event, we will be hosting a silent auction that will showcase the variety of amazing talents our students, faculty, staff and alumni have to offer.

As the first event of its kind on campus (and the first time this course has been offered) it’s been a learning experience for us all. It’s not as if we can base this event on a template. It’s a puzzle, putting bits and pieces of our collective past experiences together into this one event. Even though we’re only halfway through the semester, I’ve learned a lot from my group members and mentors. Every detail is another lesson learned: whether it’s how we relay information (and making sure everyone checks their emails!), creating a budget, or requesting quotes for whatever materials we might need. Thankfully, our mentors have been nothing but supportive, making sure we have whatever tools or knowledge needed to work through the planning process.

“Champagne under the Stars” will take place on campus on the evening of March 24 and will also include a tour of the telescope, dancing and hors d’oeuvres. More information can be found at grenfell.mun.ca/champagne.

This event will help provide our students the support they need to succeed. Wouldn’t it be great to support a science student, for example, who, years down the road, could invent a life-changing technology or discover something new about how our world works?

Science is an ever-changing field, and something I’ve always been interested in because of its relation to sport. Nutrition, player statisitcs, or the trajectory of a ball … they all stem from science. And it isn’t just sports. Science is a part of our lives every day, from the phones we carry, our city’s infrastructure, to the healthcare we need.

So, if you’re in town on March 24, set aside a few hours in your evening to come out, enjoy a glass of bubbly, and support Grenfell’s students.

Make sure to bring your dancing shoes, and maybe a coat, too — a guided tour of the observatory will be offered, and it can get pretty cold up there in the winter!